The Ram Horned Guy
by GoddessOfTheMoonAndEnthusiasm
Summary: When the truth was revealed, Nico says something about a ram-horned guy driving a bus. Could that be the same thing that attacked Percy? How did it actually happen? And who is that strange lawyer?


The Ram Headed Guy

Eleven-year-old Bianca and nine-year-old Nico di Angelo walked behind the lawyer, Mr. Rabbio, who was in charge of the money their dead mother and who-knows-where-he-is father left them, and their lives.

Bianca and Nico weren't exactly what you'd call "normal" kids. Their mother, Maria di Angelo had died in an accident (Mr. Rabbio refused to give any more details) and their father had supposedly fled the scene with the kids, contacted Mr. Rabbio (who apparently helped their father win a court case), left the money and the lives of his kids with him, disappeared, and was presumed dead. They stayed in new places, once in New York, once in Las Vegas, really too many to count (neither kid could remember). They'd stay somewhere every few weeks and Mr. Rabbio would insist they move, as if he were afraid something would follow them.

The name "Rabbio" may sound a little like a rabbit, but Mr. Rabbio was the opposite of a rabbit. He had an evil looking face and an evil smile and he had a black mustache like the bad guys in the movies. His hair was way too shiny to be natural, and he used way to much gel and hairspray. He always wore a stiff pinstripe suit that he never allowed any wrinkles or dirt to mar and shiny black shoes that gleamed like snakes eyes. He didn't look like a lawyer, and it looked like he would win his cases by installing fear, like _If my client doesn't win, terrible things will happen_. He certainly had that effect on the di Angelo's.

They didn't make a habit of getting too close to Mr. Rabbio. Sure, he was the only adult they'd ever known in their lives for a long period of time, but they certainly didn't see him as a fatherly figure. They almost gagged whenever someone asked, _"Are these your kids?"_ Mr. Rabbio would give a malicious smile and say, _"No. They are my clients." _ That was fine with them. They didn't want to be related to some stiff-suited, slick-haired, smooth-talking, slimeball lawyer.

It was a cold, rainy day in late August, with grey clouds covering the sun and the sky turned a dull, lifeless color, as if the clouds had sucked the happiness from the world. It had to be this day, of all days, that the di Angelo's were being moved to another school in Maine. They sat on a bench next to a homeless man who asked for change and when Mr. Rabbio refused and gave him a glare, he backed off.

Finally, their bus came. The di Angelo's and Mr. Rabbio boarded the bus to Maine and he shooed the kids in first. Bianca walked onto the bus tentatavely, holding Nico's hand (or dragging, more like it). The bus driver grinned. He was really beefy, with hair all over him, but none on his head, which was covered in a cap. He had a cowbell around his neck (Hey, you are what you eat).

"Tickets?" The bus driver asked. Bianca and Nico had no tickets. He grinned evilly at them. For a second they saw on either side of his cap, curved horns.

Then Mr. Rabbio appeared. The bus driver's horns disapeared and he avoided eye contact with Mr. Rabbio.

"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience," Mr. Rabbio said. "I have the tickets."

"Oh," the bus driver said. "Of course." It may have been something else, because he was snorting as he talked. Maybe he had to sneeze. They didn't see Mr. Rabbio give the man any tickets, but maybe an evil glare. Mr. Rabbio shooed the di Angelo's to the seats. Bianca and Nico walked, but Mr. Rabbio stayed back.

"Kids, just go on ahead. Find seats at the _back _of the bus. I have to give our friend, the bus driver. . . tickets," Mr. Rabbio said.

Bianca led Nico to two free seats. They stowed away their bags and sat down. They saw Mr. Rabbio walking down the aisle. Mr. Rabbio sat in front of them next to a snoring man with a half eaten hot dog in his shirt pocket.

Nico nudged Bianca. "Bianca, that man had ram horns."

"No he didn't, Nico, that was just your imaginiation," Bianca whisered.

"But you saw them, too!"

"Maybe we saw something on his hat. He didn't have ram horns."

"But-"

"Nico!"

Nico gave up. He knew what he saw, and he refused to beieve otherwise.

"Kids, just go on ahead. Find seats at the _back_ of the bus. I have to give our friend, the bus driver. . . tickets," Mr. Rabbio said. He hoped they would obey him. Luckily, they did and went to find seats.

Mr. Rabbio looked into the "bus drivers" beady eyes.

"Now, I know this may be hard for your little animal brain to understand," Mr. Rabbio said so only the bus driver could hear it. "But you listen to me. You know who I am, and I know who you are. Take this as a warning, if you touch one hair on the di Angelo's heads, I can promise you that Lord Hades will hear about this. He will hear that one of his minions was trying to kill his children. And I think you know who he'll ask to decide your punishment." Mr. Rabbio grinned, his eyes flaring.

He snorted in response.

Mr. Rabbio put three tickets into the box.

Then, with one final glare, he walked back to the di Angelo's, who were just getting settled. He sat in front of him. Very subtle sign language. _Don't even think about it._

**A/N: Hey! I know this was shorter than usual, but exect a longer one-shot/two shot coming soon. **

**Let me exlain the Mr. Rabbio thing:**

**di Angelo's: Italian**

**Rabbia-anger in italian (Rabbio just sounds masculine)**

**Alecto-anger**

**So, hope you enjoyed this.**

**News With Me That You Probably Don't Care About:**

**I GOT SPACERS AND THEY HUUUURT! Yesterday I got them and now I'm SO SORE! **

**I have an interesting teeth problem...I'm missing the two teeth that go between the big front teeth and the canine pointy vampire teeth, so my teeth moved. They put in spacers, to make room for an expander, then after the expander, braces, and so on and so forth...**

**I didn't think they'd hurt as much but I was wro-o-o-ong. It's not too terrible, but I don't know about eating solids...Jolly Ranchers take my mind off of it...**

**Bye! **

**~Reese**


End file.
